M1 New Section of D3 (three lanes) at Swords

celticbest · 10-06-2010 4:50pm

Scheme : Pictures,

Chris_5339762 · 10-06-2010 6:27pm

How bout making the airport junction a proper trumpet while they're at it?

celticbest · 11-06-2010 11:02am

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

How bout making the airport junction a proper trumpet while they're at it?

Not sure they would do anything with this junction as volumes are not big enough to justify any spend on it.

I use this junction every morning and am never held up, apart from a 30 second wait if you get stopped at the lights.

ardmacha · 11-06-2010 12:17pm

How bout making the airport junction a proper trumpet while they're at it?

Since a trumpet would have been cheaper in the first place, you have to wonder why it is the way it is.

Idbatterim · 11-06-2010 3:53pm

It looks pretty pathetic, when coming out of our main airport to be greeted by a mickey mouse roundabout with lights on it, it should be freeflow, couldnt be that difficult!

Jayuu · 11-06-2010 5:56pm

It would be fairly straightforward I would think to make it freeflow from the Airport to M1N. At least they should consider that. As for the rest; well it might be better if it was a full trumpet junction but I too have never really had any delays on this roundabout.

I think there are better things to spend money on (e.g. extending the three lanes as far as Junction 4).

Empire o de Sun · 11-06-2010 6:42pm

would it not be a better idea to have the 3 lane section on the northbound side going one or 200 metres beyond the junction, as this would leave exit 3 as a final layout and there would be no need to replace any overhead gantry.

The gantry for the airport at exit 2 has been replaced already and if this 3 lane section goes ahead it will be the 3rd version for the gantry at this exit.

Empire o de Sun · 11-06-2010 6:43pm

I think there was/is probably plans for local access at the airport exit or a road towards Portmarnock.

Chris_5339762 · 11-06-2010 10:00pm

Or perhaps saying "forget this upgrade for now" and put the money into a pot for when the Galway bypass finally clears the courts.

Empire o de Sun · 11-06-2010 10:42pm

It doesn't work like that, if money isn't spent the Department of Finance get it. Departments don't keep money they don't spend. This is from my experience. I'm open to correction.

12-06-2010 11:06am

Empire o de Sun wrote: »

It doesn't work like that, if money isn't spent the Department of Finance get it. Departments don't keep money they don't spend. This is from my experience. I'm open to correction.

Yep! that sounds about right, each government department bids for money at the start of the year and unspent money is returned to the Department of Finance at the end of the year.

celticbest · 14-06-2010 10:44am

Empire o de Sun wrote: »

would it not be a better idea to have the 3 lane section on the northbound side going one or 200 metres beyond the junction, as this would leave exit 3 as a final layout and there would be no need to replace any overhead gantry.

The gantry for the airport at exit 2 has been replaced already and if this 3 lane section goes ahead it will be the 3rd version for the gantry at this exit.

From M50 upgrade - Phase II, Post #1090.

M50 Traffic MGT wrote: »

M1 NB is currently being upgraded to 4 lanes between the M50 and Airport. Hopefully this will speed up the M1 NB but from our experience the major slowdown in the evenings appears to be merging traffic from the Airport Interchange. There are no plans for an additional lane from the Airport to Lissenhall yet, but our new gantries on the M1 NB have space for this extra lane along the median, which will join up with our extra lane currently being constructed

I presume that any gantries that have been upgraded on the M1 are now able to cater for the installation of an extra lane.

Carawaystick · 15-06-2010 10:00pm

I (nerd that I am) counted 13 lamp posts between the southern end of the on-slip at Holywell to the beginning of the offslip at the Airport.

I'm guessing they're 50m spacing so that's 650m or so that needs an aux lane

celticbest · 08-07-2010 9:05am

Has anybody had any update as to whether works are going to start anytime soon ??

Traffic was as bad as ever again last night from the M50/M1 merge to Junction 4,

Picture taken @ about 5:30pm just after Airport Junction.

Amtmann · 08-07-2010 11:03pm

Carawaystick wrote: »

I (nerd that I am) counted 13 lamp posts between the southern end of the on-slip at Holywell to the beginning of the offslip at the Airport.

A sentence like that could only appear in this forum

Praetorian · 28-07-2010 6:22pm

The m1 must be the second busiest motorway in the country after the m50. I've been saying for years that the m1 always should have been 3 lanes as far as Lissenhall. Lots of traffic gets on and off their every single day. On some days you can easily spend 25-30 minutes travelling 3km's south bound in the mornings.

The upgrade seems pointless unless you go as far as Lissenhall, but perhaps Michael Kennedy is right, there should be some future proofing and it should go as far as Balbriggan.

Costs surely can't be that bad in this day and age for such an upgrade, as there is the room for the extra lanes. Traffic disruption I can imagine being minimal, although I can forsee slower speed limits.

Empire o de Sun · 29-07-2010 5:09am

I don't think the third lane will make any/much difference. Just more room to queue

The problem with the end of the M1 is its ability to distribute traffic to the city roads and the M50. Whitehall, Santry, the M50 can't take more traffic off than is arriving at 120 km/h from north of the estuary.

Bluetonic · 29-07-2010 12:13pm

Empire o de Sun wrote: »

I don't think the third lane will make any/much difference. Just more room to queue

The problem with the end of the M1 is its ability to distribute traffic to the city roads and the M50. Whitehall, Santry, the M50 can't take more traffic off than is arriving at 120 km/h from north of the estuary.

Rubbish, there is absolutely no problems getting onto the M50 or Santry in the morning. Some delay at Whitehall due to the traffic lights at Collins Avenue.

The problem only occurs between Lissenhall and Drynam on the M1 south as traffic from Skerries, Rush, Lusk, Swords, Malahide, Donabate etc.., joins.

Have you actually travelled on the M1 south in the mornings regularly?

There are no traffic issuse between Drynam and the tunnel and no issue north of Lissenhall.

Obviously 3 lanes would move the traffic quicker to the next blockage but now that the M50 has greater capacity it should be no problem.

Chris_5339762 · 29-07-2010 7:27pm

Furet wrote: »

A sentence like that could only appear in this forum

Sabre too, but they'd name the manufacturers also

celticbest · 25-08-2010 11:01am

I know it's been a while since anything was posted on this but I heard this scheme was approved a few weeks ago.

I was just wondering if anybody had heard...

... when the works will actually start?
... how long they will take?

Jayuu · 25-08-2010 11:43am

celticbest wrote: »

I know it's been a while since anything was posted on this but I heard this scheme was approved a few weeks ago.

I was just wondering if anybody had heard...

... when the works will actually start?
... how long they will take?

Just drove that way (both ways) this morning. There's no sign of it starting at the moment!

One thing I hope that this will solve is the horrible layout of the road from the Port Tunnel which weaves back and forth in a completely unacceptable manner.

celticbest · 25-08-2010 2:59pm

Jayuu wrote: »

Just drove that way (both ways) this morning. There's no sign of it starting at the moment!

One thing I hope that this will solve is the horrible layout of the road from the Port Tunnel which weaves back and forth in a completely unacceptable manner.

There's men at work signs under the Airport junction, but no men at work....

I thought these signs might be the start of works but they have been in place for the last few weeks and nothing has been happening.

celticbest · 31-08-2010 10:56am

Just found the following article, http://www.dublinpeople.com/content/view/3375/57/ . Does anybody know if this is still on course to be completed by December as stated.

I would have thought works would have had to of started at this stage or will they be able to complete the works in around 4 months??

spacetweek · 31-08-2010 4:48pm

celticbest wrote: »

I know it's been a while since anything was posted on this but I heard this scheme was approved a few weeks ago.

I was just wondering if anybody had heard...

... when the works will actually start?
... how long they will take?

Didn't they say it would kick off in August? Well today is the last day.

celticbest wrote: »

Just found the following article, http://www.dublinpeople.com/content/view/3375/57/ . Does anybody know if this is still on course to be completed by December as stated.

I would have thought works would have had to of started at this stage or will they be able to complete the works in around 4 months??

The article is confusing; it says the upgrade would be done by December 2010, but the other article upthread said 15 months (and therefore December 2011).

spacetweek · 15-09-2010 3:41pm

spacetweek wrote: »

Didn't they say it would kick off in August? Well today is the last day.

Quoting myself; first sign of madness

Can anyone who lives up that way confirm if this has gotten underway yet? It's late now.

Jayuu · 15-09-2010 3:45pm

spacetweek wrote: »

Quoting myself; first sign of madness

Can anyone who lives up that way confirm if this has gotten underway yet? It's late now.

There was nothing obvious to indicate a start on this as of last Sunday.

Idbatterim · 15-09-2010 4:30pm

will the upgrade, just be 3 lanes or a total of 4, like the M50? i.e 3 proper lanes and an auxiliary lane?

Jayuu · 15-09-2010 5:24pm

Idbatterim wrote: »

will the upgrade, just be 3 lanes or a total of 4, like the M50? i.e 3 proper lanes and an auxiliary lane?

3 lanes and its only for around 2 km from the airport to the next interchange.

celticbest · 16-09-2010 8:34am

Jayuu wrote: »

There was nothing obvious to indicate a start on this as of last Sunday.

Still no sign of anything yesterday evening except for the usual tailback....

I think it's time to send a quick mail to the NRA to find out the start date.

chinchin · 20-10-2010 11:41pm

Traffic management signs heading out of town just before M1/M50 junction this evening were indicating M1 upgrade works would start next week, I think they said 26th October.

dcr22B · 21-10-2010 10:13am

After this morning's disaster on the M1, they should really consider a 3 lane motorway from the Airport to Lissenhall but the upside is that an extra lane should free up the inbound/outbound lanes as the snarl ups are mainly due to the traffic merging from the Drynam exit.

celticbest · 21-10-2010 12:11pm

dcr22B wrote: »

After this morning's disaster on the M1, they should really consider a 3 lane motorway from the Airport to Lissenhall but the upside is that an extra lane should free up the inbound/outbound lanes as the snarl ups are mainly due to the traffic merging from the Drynam exit.

Yeah, I can't wait to see there traffic management plan & how it will affect both the morning and evening rush hours.

cargo · 21-10-2010 4:17pm

celticbest wrote: »

Yeah, I can't wait to see there traffic management plan & how it will affect both the morning and evening rush hours.

I've amused myself in the evening going home coming up with all sorts of "minimal traffic impact" sort of solution for this job. My best is all works to be confined within temp steel barriers (bar last stages of surface laying) and for dumptrucks to carry all spoil away from machines to a central location and dump it into a hopper and conveyor which would take it up and over the motorway to waiting trucks on a side road or even the hard-shoulder (to help them merging by not having to emerge onto overtaking lane) preferably a side road though.

Not going to happen but it keeps me amused in traffic

Bluetonic · 21-10-2010 7:21pm

cargo wrote: »

I've amused myself in the evening going home coming up with all sorts of "minimal traffic impact" sort of solution for this job. My best is all works to be confined within temp steel barriers (bar last stages of surface laying) and for dumptrucks to carry all spoil away from machines to a central location and dump it into a hopper and conveyor which would take it up and over the motorway to waiting trucks on a side road or even the hard-shoulder (to help them merging by not having to emerge onto overtaking lane) preferably a side road though.

Not going to happen but it keeps me amused in traffic

Judging by the plans the central median will remain as is, the same width. It won't be like the M50.

All widening will be from the hard shoulder in so that should leave disruption to a minimum until resurfacing is required. They can in theory do the new hard shoulder and lane one (current hard shoulder) behind barriers then direct traffic onto these to resurface lane two and three (currently lane one and two).

Irish and Proud · 21-10-2010 8:40pm

Bluetonic wrote: »

Judging by the plans the central median will remain as is, the same width. It won't be like the M50.

All widening will be from the hard shoulder in so that should leave disruption to a minimum until resurfacing is required. They can in theory do the new hard shoulder and lane one (current hard shoulder) behind barriers then direct traffic onto these to resurface lane two and three (currently lane one and two).

No, the M1 widening will take place within the median. If you look at page 2 and closely examine the northern end of the scheme, you will see that the median tapers out. The median along much of the M1 to Drogheda is 15m to allow the construction of 2 extra lanes (one each way) and still have the width of an average grass median thereafter - like the M7 to Portlaoise and M4 to Kinnegad.

The calculation would be:

Existing Median: 15.00m (excluding 1.0m Median Strips)
N/B C/W Lane Reduction: 0.20m (7.5m to 7.3m)
S/B C/W Lane Reduction: 0.50m (7.5m to 7.0m)
New N/B Lane: -3.65m
New S/B Lane: -3.50m
Reduced Median: 8.55m (average grass median: 7.0m)

Hope this helps.

Bluetonic · 21-10-2010 9:04pm

Cool.

celticbest · 22-10-2010 8:47am

Travelling home last night there is no signage for upgrade work heading from the M50N & down the M1N

dcr22B · 22-10-2010 12:39pm

celticbest wrote: »

Travelling home last night there is no signage for upgrade work heading from the M50N & down the M1N

The signing is under the M1/M50 junction on the M1(N)

runway16 · 25-10-2010 1:38pm

dcr22B wrote: »

The signing is under the M1/M50 junction on the M1(N)

And also now approaching the airport Exit heading Southbound.....starting Tuesday the 26th according to the signs!

amacachi · 25-10-2010 1:41pm

Oh this should be fun for the next while.

runway16 · 25-10-2010 1:44pm

amacachi wrote: »

Oh this should be fun for the next while.

Ah, I doubt it will be that bad. Given the works will be in the median, they will prob shut the overtake lane, and use the left lane and hard shoulder as two running lanes.

Southbound, given that traffic slows up before this section anyway for the M50 join, I doubt it could really be much worse!! ;-)

At least I hope not.....;-)

amacachi · 25-10-2010 1:48pm

runway16 wrote: »

Ah, I doubt it will be that bad. Given the works will be in the median, they will prob shut the overtake lane, and use the left lane and hard shoulder as two running lanes.

Southbound, given that traffic slows up before this section anyway for the M50 join, I doubt it could really be much worse!! ;-)

At least I hope not.....;-)

Aye, but if it adds more than ten minutes I'll likely either have to get an earlier bus or get the train which I can't really afford. *sigh* Woe is me. :pac:

Irish and Proud · 26-10-2010 12:42am

Well after the M7 and M18 opens next month, we'll have at least one road project to talk about... :pac::pac::pac:

...look on the positive side!

Hopefully, the M17/M18 and N7X/M11 projects will commence early next year - wonder if the PPP jitters will settle after the budget
(psst, I just said a rude word!

)

Now for the M1 works drama!

celticbest · 26-10-2010 10:33am

Was there any sign of the works starting this morning?? I came onto the M1S at the the Airport junction just incase....

Bluetonic · 26-10-2010 7:33pm

They spent today cutting the ditch in the central median down to around 3 ft from Lissenhall to Drynam

sdanseo · 27-10-2010 8:37pm

No delay on M1S today between Drynam and City, nor any sign of works underway.

cargo · 27-10-2010 9:26pm

sdonn wrote: »

No delay on M1S today between Drynam and City, nor any sign of works underway.

Nothing NB either as of this pm.

Bluetonic · 27-10-2010 10:23pm

sdonn wrote: »

No delay on M1S today between Drynam and City, nor any sign of works underway.

On M1S (Drynam) today at 1.30pm they were putting up electronic signs to say hard shoulder closed for two km along with a number of cones along with the continued pruning which would probably be for sight lines on the approach for truck movements.

Jayuu · 28-10-2010 12:01am

Don't know if it had anything to do with the works but there were huge tailbacks on the M1N this evening at around 5pm. The traffic was even tailed back well onto the M50 at the exit.

dcr22B · 28-10-2010 9:23am

There were traffic management trucks parked just on the M1(N) hard shoulder this morning so they must be doing some start-up work on this today.

M1 New Section of D3 (three lanes) at Swords

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